Justin Pope never made the big leagues, although he once was a first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. He toiled for eight seasons in the minors, starting in 2001, without ever experiencing the ultimate destination.

And the new manager of the Staten Island Yankees has absolutely no regrets.

In fact, the former first-team All-America pitcher out of Central Florida — who went 10 spots ahead of David Wright as the 28th overall selection — might be the perfect man for a Class A managing job.

“What I’m going to tell these guys today,” said Pope as the Baby Bombers assembled for the first time yesterday in St. George in anticipation of tomorrow night’s New York-Penn League opener at Brooklyn, “is you want to be able to look in the mirror every night and know you gave everything you had to get better that day.

“I felt like every time I went to the ballpark, that’s what I did. Some days were good, some days were bad, but at the end of the day I knew I gave everything I had. Did I want to make the big leagues? Of course I did. But I can’t look back and say ‘Woulda, shoulda, coulda.’ It just didn’t happen.”

The 32-year-old Pope greeted a group of eager young ballplayers that included a pair of players ranked among the New York Yankees’ Top 20 prospects’ list compiled by baseball analyst John Sickels — outfielders Ravel Santana (eighth) and Daniel Lopez (18th) — and highly-regarded shortstop Claudio Custodio and catcher Isaias Tejeda.

Another player promoted from the Gulf Coast League affiliate is third baseman Matt Duran, a 2011 fourth-round pick out of New Rochelle HS who was a member of the metropolitan youth baseball team “Hank’s Yanks,” sponsored by Yankees general partner and co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner.

Duran, who hit .301 with three homers in 23 games last summer for Tampa, turned 19 last month. He’ll be surrounded in the clubhouse by the customary batch of college players selected in this month’s draft — with LSU pitcher Nick Goody (sixth round) the highest pick to report as of last night. The list includes Fresno State pitcher Taylor Garrison (seventh), Alabama outfielder Taylor Dugas (eighth), Auburn pitcher Derek Varnadore (ninth), Mississippi first baseman Matt Snyder (10th), University of San Diego pitcher James Pazos (13th) and Rice pitcher Andrew Benak (14th).

Pope remembers his first professional start in the 2001 New York-Penn League opener for the New Jersey Cardinals. He allowed one hit while striking out eight in five innings of a 3-2 win over the Hudson Valley Renegades.

“I remember being very pumped, a little nervous, wanting to get your pro career off on the right foot,” he said. “Then, maybe being a little naive, thinking I’m going to get everybody out and be on my way to the big leagues.”

Pope eventually was traded from the Cardinals to the Yankees as part of the Sterling Hitchcock deal in 2003, and he spent the next four seasons as a relief pitcher while making it to Triple-A. He had a career record of 38-34 and a 3.34 ERA in 261 appearances.

“The game’s hard,” said Pope, who served as a coach for the Staten Island Yankees in 2010 and for the Double-A Trenton Thunder last season. “It’s all part of a process and this level is a great starting point. You learn how to be a pro, how to get a daily routine down, how to come to the ballpark having a plan every day. It’s not college ball. You’re playing every day.

“You can’t maximize your ability if you’re not mentally tough. Your (physical) ability is only going to take you so far, then it comes down to what do you have between your ears.”

Pope said he believes memories of his long minor-league career might come in handy during the 76-game Single A season.

“I’m trying to remind myself how hard the game is to play,” said the Lake Wales, Fla., native. “If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. These are young guys and I know they’re pumped and ready to put 100 percent effort into it. I have to sit back sometimes and tell myself they’re learning and that I was there myself at one time.

“I think we have some really good players and I think we’re going to do well. We’re going to do whatever we can to help these guys get better and move up.”

NOTES: Staten Island opens its home season Tuesday night against Brooklyn at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark. The Yankees host the Cyclones on Wednesday night and travel back to Coney Island on Thursday to cap the season-opening four-game series ... The Baby Bombers will return to the airwaves — for the first time since the 2005 season — with an Internet presence. The 38-game home schedule will have audio and video feeds available via both MILB.com and SIYanks.com. The announcers will be Brooklyn natives Alex Faust and Ricky Cibrano, recent college graduates of Northeastern and Fordham, respectively ... Brooklyn’s roster includes 19-year-old outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the Mets’ first-round pick (13th overal) in 2011 out of Cheyenne, Wyo., and Purdue catcher Kevin Plawecki, the team’s recent first-round supplemental pick (35th overall) and the Big Ten Player of the Year.